Vehicle wheel



H. J. HORN 2,198,721

VEHICLE WHEEL April 30, 1940.

Filed July 3, 1937 F/ L INVENTOR. 6 4 H4195) u. HOE/V.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr.30, 1 40 1 2 193 721 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VEHICLE WHEEL, 1 Harry J. Horn, Lansing, Mich, assignor to Motor Wheel Corporation, Lansing, Mich a corporat 1 tion of Michigan Application July 3, 1937, Serial No. 151,797 9'Claims. (Cl-301-108) 1 1 This invention relates to vehicle wheels, and spaced depressions formed in its outer face, each particularly to the means for securing a wheel depression being located adjacent a correspondbody and a ,cover plate or hub cap on the hub 1 ing stud bolt. These depressions, as can be seen 1 member; 1 1 1 in Figure 1, are circular and the bottom of each 5 One object of the inventionis to construct a depression has a circular aperture therein, concover which will be mounted over and held in centric with itsrespective stud bolt. As the diplace by thesame means that is used to attach 11 ameter of the aperture is less than that of the the wheel body to the hub. Y depression, it provides a radially extending flange Another object is to construct a cover which 26. 1 1

0 is adaptable to bemounted on the wheel and con- Mounted-J in each aperture is a generally cy- "m 1 cealthe central portion of the wheel body and. li-ndrical member l9 which isflanged radially 1 tliehub, but leave the attaching means for the outwardly at its outer end, asshown at 2|, to Wheel body exposecL overlap flangeiili. The tubular member fits just 1 =A s'till further object of the ,invention is to loosely enough in the aperture so that it is slidprovide an improved meansior securing both a ableaxially therein, but it is prevented from re- 15 cover and wheel body to the hub simultaneously movalby small protuberances 22 near the inner with the same securing means and yet. leave the end of the memberlllandby the flange 2|. The

.11 cover free of any strain due to holding thewheel. tubular member is also flanged inwardly at 28 bodytothe hub. 1 1 1 1 for a purpose to be described later.

: 1 1i Another object of the invention is to provide Each, nut I6 is tapered at its inner end as shown ag .a cover for. concealing the hub and part of the at 27 in Figure 2, and in addition has a short wheel1 body, which has incorporated therein the cylindrical portion extending from the tapered means for securing the coverand wheel body to portion. .A bell-shaped washer ll has a tapered thehub; 1 1 1 1 1 end complementary :tothe taper on the nut.

55 1Q1Other1 objects "or. the invention will appear in The washer is slipped on the portion 25 of the 11 the following description and appended claims, nut, after which the mouth of portion 25 is swaged reference being had to the accompanying drawoutwardly, to hold the washer securely on the ingrforming a part of this specification wherein nut. The washer is not wedged tightly to the like reference charactersdesignate correspondmg nut, but fits sufficiently loosely to allow a slight m partsin the several views: 1 f 1 1 1 relative movement of the two parts 11:0 Figure 1 isa fragmentary elevational view of As will be seen in Figures 2 and 4, the internal a wheel assembly. having a cover thereon; diameter of flange 2!! is slightly less than the dis- 11 Figure 2 isafragmentarycrossesectional view tance across opposite corners of nut l6. Ae-' taken. on line 22 of Figure 1; 1 cordingly, the nut may be forced axially through ;5 Figure 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view the opening formedby flange Ell, if sufficient presof a modified form of; my invention, the .view sure is applied, thereby distorting said flange mo- .corresponding to that shown in Figure 2;. and mentarily. After the nut has passed throughsaid 1 Figure; is a viewonastill larger scale of the opening, the flange returns to its normal posiattaching means shown inFigures 1 and 2, the tion of Figures12 and 4, and is permanently held Lo cover being shown in section. 1 1 between the nut and washer. The nut may not 1 In thewembodiment shown in Figures 1, 2 and be removed from. the cylinclrical memberlS, as

4 the wheel hub member is designated by the an attempt to remove it results in a tendency to numeral I 0 and has a circular flange H extendbend the flange 20 toward the right, inFigures 2 1 ing radially therefrom. This hub member is of and Q, or in other words, to bend it toward a posi- 5 conventional design and is mounted on the axle tion normal to the axis of the cylindrical mem in11any approved manner. f, Secured to the. hub her. The aperture defined by flange 20 con- .flange l l are the usual stud bolts l5, and mountsequently tendsto decrease in diameter, prevent ed on thisflange by means of said stud bolts is ing passage of the nut therethrough. the wheel body 12. The wheel body is locked in It will be apparent that the nut may be atposition on the studs by the nut and washer astached to the cover plate prior to the attachment 1 .sembly I 6 and I1. Wheel body I2 is flanged axi thereof to the wheel, or the nutsmay be screwed ally at its periphery and rim I3 is secured to this on thestud bolts, and the cover plate then forced flange" by rivets l4. 1 over the nuts. In either case, howeventhe entire \The'cover l8,. which conceals thehuband ceriassembly becomes a permanentone, once the 1 tral1 portionlof- .thewheel, has a pluralityaof parts are secured together. 1

arranged about the circumference thereof in the same manner as in Figures 1, 2 and 4. These depressed portions are apertured at the bottom so that flanges 3| which extend generally radially inwardly are formed and the nut 33 and the Washer 34 are mounted over this flange, the edge of flange 3| seating in the groove formed between the nut and washer.

This construction has no provision for relative movement between the. cover plate 30 and nut 33 and washer 34, aside from the slightly loose fit of the nut and washer on the flange 3|. The cover plate, however, is rather flexible and may be distorted enough to allow the nuts to be und screwed from the stud bolts. It may be impossible to completely remove one of the nuts from its stud bolt while the remaining nuts are drawn up tightly, but in such a case the cover can be removed by rotating each nut in succession for a few turns, proceeding around the wheel several times until all of the nuts are completely free.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a wheel cover structure in-which all parts are permanently assembled, so that there is no danger of loss of the nuts when they are removed from the stud bolts. The entire organization is of an attractive appearance and conceals all of the portions of the wheel which it is advisable to cover.

' It is apparent that my invention is capable of other varied uses not specifically described, and that the invention is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a wheel assembly, the combination of a hub having a flange extending radially therefrom, a plurality of stud bolts secured to and extending axially, outwardly from said flange, a wheel body member on said hub having a plurality of apertures therein to receive said stud bolts, a hub cap for concealing said hub and a portion of said wheel body member, said hub cap having a permanently secured to each nut, the nuts being removably attached to the stud bolts.

2. An ornamental cover plate for a wheel hub 7' member comprising a generally dish-shaped plate 'nranently secured to said nut.- .75

having an aperture therein adjacent the periphery thereof, the plate being axially inwardly depressed about said aperture thus forming a generally radially extending flange surrounding the aperture,and means permanently attached to the cover plate in the depression comprising a nut of slightly greater diameter than the diameter of the aperture, on the outer side of said flange, and a washer on the other side of said flange per- 3. A vehicle wheel comprising a hub member,

a rim member located in spaced relation thereto, a wheel body rigidly secured to one of said members, means for removably securing the wheel body to the other member including a plurality of clamping elements, each of said clamping elements consisting of a 'nut and a washer swivelly connected thereto to form an annular groove between the bodies thereof, cover means fc'r the wheel having a periphery extending beyond the clamping elements, said cover means having a plurality of apertures therein, one of said clamping elements being permanently located in each of said apertures with the nut located outside and the washer located inside of the cover, the diam eters of said apertures being greater than the diameters of the grooves in the respective clamping elements and less than the greatest diameter of the body portions of the nuts and washers.

4. A vehicle wheel comprising, in combination, a plurality of stud bolt assemblies, each assembly including a nut, a washer loosely secured to the base of the nut and providing a groove between said nut and washer, a cover having a plurality of spaced apertures therein, a tubular member in each aperture, means to'prevent removal of said tubular member from the nut including-a substantially radially extending flange at the inner endof the tubular member forming an aper.'

ture of less diameter than the largest diameter of the nut, said last mentioned flange being per- 1 manently located in said groove.

5. A vehicle wheel comprising, in combination,

a plurality of stud bolt assemblies, each assembly including a nut, a Washer loosely secured tothe base of the nut and providing a groove between ber from said cover including a radial flange at the outer end thereof, and a substantially radially extending flange at .the inner end of the tubular member forming an opening of less diameter than the largest diameter of the nut, said last mentioned flange being permanently located in said groove. k i

6. A vehiclewheel comprising, in combination, a plurality of stud bolt assemblies, each assembly including a nut, a washer loosely secured to the nut and providing a groove between said nut and washer, a cover having a plurality of apertures therein of less. diameter than the largest diameter of said nut, said aperture being defined by asubstantially radiallyextending flange, said flange being disposed within the groove'between the nut and Washer; I

7. In a wheel assembly, in combination, 'ahub having a radially extendingflange, a plurality of stud bolts secured'to'and extending axially outwardly from said flange, a wheel body on said hub having a' plurality of apertures, each stud bolt extending through an aperture in the wheel body, a cover plate having a plurality of axially inwardly depressed portions therein formed with an aperture in the bottom thereof,'each of said apertures receiving a corresponding stud bolt, 2.

' nut disposed within each depression on one side of the cover plate, said nut being of a greater diameter than the associated aperture, a washer disposed onthe opposite side of the cover plate through the associated aperture in the cover plate, each nut and Washer being removably attached to its respective stud bolt.

8. An ornamental cover platefo-r a wheel hub member comprising a generally dish-shaped plate having an aperture therein, a cylindrical member disposed within the aperture, said cylindrical n member having an outwardly projecting radial flange at one end andan inwardly projecting substantially radially extending flange at the other v end with the outwardly projecting flange overlying the rim of said aperture at the outer face of the cover, means on said cylindrical member spaced from the last mentioned flange to prevent withdrawal of the cylindricalmember from the aperture, a nut in the cylindrical member having a portion positionedon each side of the ferentially spaced apertures adjacent its peripha ery and a clamping element associated with each of said apertures, each clamping element comprising a nut located on one side of the cover and a washer located on the other side of the cover, each nut being swivelly connected to the associated washer by means extending through the aperture, each nut and washer including respectively a portion of greater diameter than the diameter of the associated aperture.

HARRY J HORN. 

